Modern motor vehicles include a number of Emission Control Systems (ECS) components, designed to control and minimize the type and quantity of pollutants allowed to be exhausted by their engines. Typical ECS components include, for example, a Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) unit, an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) unit, and a Fuel Filler Restrictor (FFR) unit. Periodically, either the state or the federal government requires that such motor vehicles be inspected and tested at an authorized Motor Vehicle Inspection (MVI) facility, to pass or fail the vehicle in accordance with established standards.
The inspection procedure requires the inspector to confirm presence of certain ECS units, which must be present for the particular vehicle under test. The prior art teaches a manual, time-consuming process for determining the presence and location of legally required ECS components for each test. First, an inspector must search a reference manual, or other printed or computer displayed information, for a list of the specific ECS components for the test vehicle. Then, using this list, the inspector makes a visual search of the underhood compartment and the remainder of the vehicle, in an effort to confirm that each component is present.
While some printed reference manuals do have underhood representations, the information is often incomplete as to many of the manufacturer's models, and may be so generic that it is misleading or simply inaccurate for the particular vehicle under test. Thus, the inspector is usually posed with the problem of locating these components on his own, without the aid of a visual reference or key which identifies each component and its underhood location.
Some components are readily apparent to the trained eye, whereas others may be hidden underneath other engine components, or mounted in a remote location, such as under the body or beneath the rear of the vehicle. Still other components may assume a non-conventional appearance, and not be recognized for what they actually are. As a consequence, valuable time is sometimes lost in the process of confirming the location and identification of the required components, or in determining that they have been removed by the vehicle's owner.
The prior art generally shows the use of computers and computer aided displays to test, illustrate, and record data pertaining to motor vehicle performance. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,359, issued to Ezoe, a Method And Apparatus For Inspecting Vehicles is disclosed. The design contemplates the use of ROM memory to store particular information regarding the performance characteristics of each "car type". Upper and lower reference values are established for various vehicle inspection items such as wheel alignment, engine characteristics, and exhaust gas. Vehicle age and mileage are also taken into consideration, before a comparison is made between the measured values of vehicle performance and the reference values.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,479, granted to Kobayashi et al., teaches a Diagnosis System For A Motor Vehicle, in which a plurality of data representing abbreviations of test check items and corresponding units of measure, are stored in ROM, for specific types of vehicles. The stated object of the invention is to provide a diagnosis system in which diagnosis data is shown directly in a display, rather than having to resort to looking in a manual for interpreting the source and unit of measure for the data.
In Fisher, U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,893, a Graphical Display Of Timing Advance Data is disclosed. By displaying vehicle performance data graphically instead of numerically, the invention is claimed to reduce data interpretation time by reducing the number of fields of view. The use of gray scale, colors, or patterned lines is generally discussed as a means to distinguish between the displayed data.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,206, granted to Boscove et al., shows a Computer Assisted Vehicle Service Device, Featuring Signature Analysis And Artificial Intelligence. The device includes a master data base, accessed by each service support system, in which the data provided for fault analysis and diagnosis would constantly be updated in accordance with field results. As part of the main menu procedure, various service and maintenance manuals are shown as available for the vehicle under test; however, no specific reference to graphic displays for particular engine components is indicated.
However, none of the prior art known to the applicants discloses or suggests the apparatus and method for facilitating the inspection of motor vehicle Emission Control Systems taught herein.